Yesterday I mentioned high bank charges for a cash withdrawal at the ‘wrong’ ATM. Someone has said of the these institutions – “Our banks really are astonishing. They are rubbish, arrogant, selfish, thoughtless and borderline wicked.” Funnily enough, this was about British banks, not those here in Spain. Which are worse. And so even more profitable.

I visited Vigo today and, by chance, found myself near to a tapas bar friends and I have been wanting to eat in for a while. It’s famous for two reasons – 1. It featured in a novel set in Galicia, and 2. It’s never open. I was hoping today would be an exception but it didn’t disappoint. Or, rather, it did. Yet again.

The headline article in the Voz de Galicia today was about a police raid on drug traffickers who’ve been arrested for money laundering on a large scale. None of the cast of characters was new to readers as they’re all well known to their neighbours in a certain town along our coast. And to everyone else actually. The article was not without humour. Six hundred million euros worth of assets have been embargoed, including a modest pastry shop in the town from which one of the famous families is said to derive its very visible fortune. You have to laugh.

A rather more appealing picture of Galicia may well emerge from a film currently being shot here by the son of Martin Sheen, Emilio Estévez. It’s a tale of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and is called, aptly enough, “The Way”. I’m guessing it won’t feature many drug dealers and speedboats with six 300 horsepower engines. But we will see.

Meanwhile, we have the International Fiesta of Wine here in Pontevedra this weekend. If I’m in any condition to do so, I’ll write about it tomorrow.